Fighting infertility: The alternative solution of donor eggs

Have you been struggling to get pregnant? Have you tried several fertility treatments like traditional IVF with your own eggs without success? If that’s the case then any other option could be viable and it could be the time to look into the process of egg donation.

As we all know, fertility is sadly ageist and declines with age. As a woman ages, it not only takes longer to conceive but risk of not being able to get pregnant increases. Using eggs from a woman who is younger and therefore more fertile can increase your odds of having a healthy pregnancy. In fact, success rates for IVF using donor eggs can be as much as two or three times higher than with regular IVF.

Taking control of your emotional roller coaster

Facing infertility can be emotionally draining. You may be feeling anxious, angry, disappointed, exhausted, or sad about your situation. When considering donor eggs, you will need to accept the reality that your baby will not carry your genes. However, IVF with frozen donor eggs can give you a new sense of hope by providing another chance for you to expand your family.

With new technology paving the way, IVF with frozen donor eggs is becoming more and more popular. In addition, this option offers you a chance to give birth to your own child who is still genetically related to your husband.

How It Works

The frozen donor egg process entails seven key steps that take a total of about six weeks from start to finish.

1. Enroll In A Frozen Donor Egg Program

The first step is to enroll with the donor egg bank. This is your chance to ask all of your questions and explore the available financial plans.

2. Select Egg Donor

View the egg bank’s database of donors to find your perfect match. You will be able to evaluate donor profiles from a wide variety of egg donors.

The detailed profiles typically include medical history, genetic disorders, fertility history, education, employment status, and reason for donating eggs. You will even have access to donors’ photo albums to assess physical characteristics if you choose.

3. Receive Eggs

When you are ready, the egg bank will send the frozen eggs to the fertility clinic of your choice via priority overnight shipping. You will receive a minimum of 5 mature eggs, the number deemed optimal to produce one normally developing embryo for transfer.

4. Prepare For IVF Transfer

In order to prepare the endometrial lining of your uterus to accept the embryos, you will need to take fertility medications including estrogen and progesterone for about four weeks prior to the transfer.

5. Thaw and Fertilize Eggs

Eggs are removed from the storage vat and quickly rehydrated or warmed. The eggs will then be combined with your partner’s or donor’s sperm and incubated overnight. During frozen donor egg IVF, doctors will typically fertilize the eggs using a technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). With ICSI, a single sperm is injected directly into each mature egg with a needle instead of allowing sperm to penetrate the egg in a Petri dish.

6. Undergo IVF Transfer

After fertilization, the embryos will begin to develop. Three days after the egg retrieval, some of the eggs that were successfully fertilized become embryos. By the fifth day, some of these embryos will become blastocysts. The embryologist then selects the most viable embryo or embryos to place in your uterus 3 to 5 days after the egg retrieval. The doctor will transfer the resulting embryos into your uterus by inserting a thin tube called a catheter through your cervix. You and your doctor will discuss the number of embryos to transfer during that cycle based on a number of factors.

7. Take A Pregnancy Test

You will return to the fertility clinic about two weeks after the transfer to take a pregnancy test, a specific blood test that measures the level of hCG, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin also known as the pregnancy hormone.

Post navigation

2 comments

I really appreciated reading this. I went through successful IVF and still have eggs on ice so to speak. I am now considering donationg . Motherhood is life altering and shouldn’t be limited to those lucky enough to be able do it on their own